The Soo Firehawks signed goaltender Anthony Benvenuti in early January and in his 13 games after that, the Firehawks didn’t lose in regulation en route to gaining home ice in the first round of the Midwest Junior Hockey League playoffs.

On Wednesday, the numbers and hard work paid off as the Firehawks announced that Benvenuti has committed to ACHA Division I Western Michigan University for the 2014-15 season.

“Anthony is a great guy and no doubt, he will excel in the classroom and on the ice,” said Soo head coach Joe Esson. “He's a great goalie, teammate and friend. Western is getting a great hockey player and all his numbers this season back that. His play was phenomenal and he was our MVP the last quarter of the season, but most important is his attitude – he is a competitor and driven to excel. He's a great guy and the Firehawks will miss him very much, but we are very proud of him and have no doubt he will be successful.”

Benvenuti, a 19-year-old from Macomb, Mich., went 12-0-0 with one shootout loss, a 1.94 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage during the 2013-14 season. He was also named Goaltender of the Month for February, Goaltender of the Week on Feb. 4 and Rookie of the Week on Feb. 25.

He then went 3-3 in the Veteran’s Memorial Cup playoffs and 1-2 at the UHU National Tournament in Las Vegas.

Getting the opportunity to play college hockey is the realization of a lifelong dream for Benvenuti.

“This past year finally gave me a foot in the door in juniors and a chance to establish a record for myself, while also promoting my team,” said Benvenuti. “I have great expectations for WMU as I am told that the program was totally redone and is in fact, becoming a much better organization as a whole. Statistically, this team has already improved tremendously and I would really like to be a part of its uprise.

“I can only hope that this upcoming year is as successful as my previous year and I have confidence it will be.”

The Firehawks expect to announce more college commitments over the coming weeks.